"Triple hat-trick" Remains an Extraordinarily Rare and Elusive Occurrence

A "triple hat-trick" in cricket refers to an extraordinary achievement where a bowler takes four wickets in four consecutive deliveries.

While the term "hat-trick" typically refers to taking three wickets with three successive balls, a "triple hat-trick" extends that by one more ball and wicket.

It is an extremely rare feat in cricket due to the difficulty of dismissing four batsmen in as many consecutive deliveries.

Some people may informally use the term "triple hat-trick" to describe even more consecutive dismissals (e.g., five wickets in five balls), but technically, the term applies to four in four.

No cricketer has ever officially achieved a "triple hat-trick" (four wickets in four consecutive deliveries) in an international match.

However, there have been several instances where bowlers have come close by taking hat-tricks or even four wickets in five balls.

Here are a few notable achievements related to multiple wickets in short spans:

Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka):

Malinga took four wickets in four balls against South Africa in the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup.

This is one of the most famous examples where a bowler came close to achieving a "triple hat-trick," as he dismissed four South African batsmen in consecutive deliveries (two at the end of one over and two at the beginning of the next).

Curtly Ambrose (West Indies):

While Ambrose did not take four consecutive wickets, he once took seven wickets for just one run in a devastating spell against Australia in 1993, though these were not all on consecutive deliveries.

While the feat of four in four deliveries has happened in other formats or lower-level cricket, the "triple hat-trick" remains an extraordinarily rare and elusive occurrence in top-level international matches.